Pres. Ikeda's Message - May 3, 2001

SGI President Ikeda's Message for May 3, Soka Gakkai Day

My precious fellow members around the world! Congratulations on
May 3, 2001! It is our first May 3 of the new century -- in the
year 2001 that marks a profoundly significant milestone in human
history and also in the annals of our global kosen-rufu
movement. It is through your unstinting dedication and
tireless efforts that we are able to celebrate this day with
such brilliant joy and wonderful achievements. Words cannot
express the deep appreciation I feel for all of you! To each and
every one of you, dear friends in 165* countries and territories
around the world: "Thank you!" and "Congratulations on the first
May 3 of the 21st century!"

Nichiren Daishonin writes, "Can there be any doubt that, after
this period described in the Great Collection Sutra when 'the
pure Law will become obscured and lost,' the great pure Law of
the Lotus Sutra [Nam-myoho-renge-kyo] will be spread far and
wide throughout Japan and all the other countries of Jambudvipa
[the entire world]" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 550).

In perfect accord with this passage, the SGI has inherited the
lifeblood of the Buddha's intent and decree, developing into a
lay Buddhist organization of unparalleled scale and attaining
truly monumental achievements. The dazzling sun of the
Daishonin's Buddhism has now begun to illuminate the skies of
the new millennium and usher in the dawn of a Century of Life.

Today, on May 3, 2001, when we sound the first bell of the
second set of Seven Bells, let us embark with renewed
determination toward peace and the happiness of all humanity.

It is now widely recognized that ideologies premised on changing
the human being through social reform have failed to achieve
their goal, and that while scientific progress has brought much
benefit to the world, it has also brought much harm. The great
lesson of the 20th century, therefore, has been that global
change and even our very survival hinge on our own inner
transformation. When human beings change, all else will follow.
The humanism of the Daishonin's Buddhism, which sheds new light
on the human being and enables people to draw forth their
infinite potential, is the sun of hope for humankind in the 21st
century.

I can still hear the ringing voice of my mentor Josei Toda as he
said to us youth: "Our movement of human revolution will spread
throughout the world. It will start from your time. I'm counting
on you. This [spreading the movement in which people around the
globe strive earnestly to do their human revolution and, achieve
world peace] is the way to prove the validity of the Daishonin's
Buddhism. For Buddhism exists in active efforts to realize peace
and enrich human civilization."

Together with all of you, I renew my pledge to spread the
"Buddhism of human revolution" around the globe. The Daishonin
also states, "I entrust you with the propagation of Buddhism in
your province" (WND, 1117). In light of these words, we each
have a unique and noble mission that has been entrusted to us by
the Daishonin to ensure the widespread propagation of the Mystic
Law in our respective communities and regions. In the
Daishonin's Buddhism, those who are aware of their profound
mission as Bodhisattvas of the Earth are precious beyond measure.

The unprecedented spread of the Daishonin's Buddhism that we see
in each region around the world today started from the
pioneering efforts of devoted individuals. It is always
individuals with a strong sense of commitment and responsibility
who open the way for kosen-rufu. I hope that each one of you
will have the awareness, pride and sense of responsibility
of being a leader of our global kosen-rufu movement, and become
a transmission point for the spread of Buddhism in society.

Buddhism is a ceaseless endeavor for good, for positive value;
it is a philosophy of social contribution. As Buddhists, we
therefore strive to nurture mutual friendship and goodwill in
our personal relations, to foster wisdom and trust in society,
and to make practical efforts to promote culture and peace in
the world at large.

Shariputra was known as the foremost in wisdom among
Shakyamuni's disciples. What led him to seek out the Buddha's
teachings? He had met one of Shakyamuni's disciples and been
deeply impressed by the sincerity and dignity of his speech and
conduct. The teachings of a mentor who has such a wonderful
disciple, he thought, are bound to be outstanding.

I hope that each of you, too, in your own capacity and
situation, will strive as good citizens within the frameworks of
the respective cultures and societies in which you live. I hope
you will illuminate all around you with your sunny presence,
brilliantly conveying the universality of the Buddhist teachings
to others and radiating the warm humanism of the SGI. It is in
this way that our humanistic network will expand-with one person
connecting to another in a chain-reaction that steadily and
solidly unfolds across the globe. Here we see the dynamics
of peace creation. It is also the key to the advance of
worldwide kosen-rufu.

The world is becoming increasingly borderless and
interconnected. It is time for humankind to turn away from
narrow, individual self-interest and toward the welfare of the
planet as a whole.

It is time for humankind to develop a common identity as global
citizens. In this respect, the harmonious solidarity of the SGI
is a great light of hope for the world.

Both humanity and the Earth thirst for compassion and care. The
bright, compassionate light of the sun of Buddhism will
revitalize humanity, the world, and human civilization.

From today onward, I will continue to fight together with all of
you, my beloved fellow members, against the devilish forces that
weaken the life force of human beings and our planet, and that
threaten human happiness and peace. I will continue to work
tirelessly for a new human solidarity and the creation of an
ideal global human community.

Dialogue and exchange are the most effective means to achieving
this. I will therefore energetically continue to conduct
sincere, ongoing dialogue. Always holding fast to hope, I will
continue, today and tomorrow, engaging in exchange for the sake
of peace. For I believe that bridging the differences between
cultures and civilizations will be one of the biggest challenges
of this century.

As exemplary models of the Buddhist principles of faith equals
daily life and Buddhism manifests itself in society, please
strive to become bridge-builders who, based on trust and
respect, forge bonds of friendship and understanding between
people through dialogue and exchange.

We now embark on a new phase in our journey toward the eternal
spread of Buddhism and the realization of a world where humanism
and peace prevail. Let us advance in solid unity, holding high
the banner of Soka humanism.

I pray with all my heart that you will enjoy happiness, good
health and richly fulfilling lives of value-creation and that
your families will also be blessed with good fortune. I pray
that you will continue to advance harmoniously together for
kosen-rufu in your respective countries, in the spirit of many
in body, one in mind.